ideaLaunch Blog

Content marketing isn’t just about spouting your opinion and making subtle (or not so subtle) sales pitches into the great interwebian abyss. In fact, good content marketing isn’t anything like that. It’s listening, adapting, understanding your audience, providing content of value, engaging with communities and participating in and leading conversations. Feedback is necessary and coveted.

But what if that feedback is negative, or even ugly? While the Internet is a great connector, staring at a screen and ‘speaking’ through taps on a keyboard can sometimes dehumanize communication. This and the supposed anonymity of the web can contribute to some people being a little more blunt, a little less tactful and, well, a little mean.

When there’s something less than glowing said about you or your business, ask yourself:

• Are these comments valid, customer (or potential customer) feedback?
• Is this really “hate mail” or just a difference of opinion?
• Is this an opportunity to clear up misconceptions or fix a wrongdoing?
• Is this an opportunity to have an honest conversation with the community, a client or potential customer?
• Does this person sound like they could be reasoned with?
• Do you suspect this person is simply a troll – or worse, a competitor out to sully your name?

With the exception of the last point, if you can answer yes to any of these questions, responding is probably a good idea. Here are some additional suggestions:

• Approve comments before they can appear on your blog. Have the final say on what’s on your site – it’s yours, after all! Don’t provide a platform for trollish behavior or rants from an unreasonable person.
• If you moderate your blog’s comments, never edit the comments of others. Delete, approve or leave as is.
• If the commenter has a point (even if it’s something negative), agree. Let them know you’ve heard what they’ve said. Even thank them for their feedback.
• Walk the talk. If the commenter has a really valid complaint or they’re calling you on your goof, don’t just apologize. Make it right. Make changes. They may have just identified a major flaw in your business that could have cost you future customers.
• Tone down defensive snark talk. You can be confident, correct misconceptions and stand by your product without an unnecessary and unhelpful attitude. Take the higher road and prove that you’re a professional in every interaction.
• If you’re responding on another blog or medium, be transparent about who you are. If you’re speaking on behalf of your company, say so. Never pretend to be a customer or unbiased party.
• Do your best to respond promptly and directly. An angry customer can stir up a lot of fuss via social media – don’t give it a chance to fester!
• Don’t be afraid to take the conversation out of the public eye. If someone contacts you via Twitter, reply to them but if you think it’s inappropriate to discuss details in front of the world, see if you can resolve the issue over DM (direct message), e-mail or phone.

Tags: comments, customer service, feedback, social media

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 6:24 am and is filed under Twitter, blog, community, facebook, social media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.